Love,Life And A Lot More
by xoCinnamonGirl
Summary: Lily and James are just friends. James loves Lily. Sirius and Selena are made for each other. Crazy parties, marauders, head duties, promises, betrayal, friendship and family tell the story of their seventh year. R & R plz? :
1. At Diagon Alley

James Potter was still half-asleep in his red and black striped boxers. It was the last day of summer and he had fallen asleep the previous night while sharing a huge bowl of ice-cream with his best buddy Sirius Black . They had been celebrating some unexpected news that had arrived from Hogwarts, along with their booklists.

Celebrations of any sort had been scarce this summer, since the boys had been trying to help James' parents fight against Lord Voldemort by joining a secret organisation called the 'Order of the Phoenix'.The first six weeks of the holidays had gone in a wierd sort of blurr consisting of fights, dreams and complex in the end, James' parents had come to a conclusion that they wanted the boys to take some time off for a while,as they thought they were too young to cope with such stress for the boys had spent the last few weeks trying to forget all that had happened by partying like crazy, trying to regain their original selfs with their carefree attitudes.

At the moment ,he was trying to recall a had been a huge study with an adjoining terrace.A cool breeze and a fiery red-haired girl .He was about to remember what she had been saying,but as usual Sirius Black had to intervene.

"Wake up Prongs!!!!!!!" he yelled, taking care to jump right on top of James' stomach.

" Getoff you sadistic ass! " said a muffled voice.

"duly noted " replied Sirius," I'll give you exactly 5 seconds to get out and get dressed "

James snorted as he got out of bed. Sirius never woke up early unless,of course, it was something like today. Today,they were going to Diagon Alley. James, of course knew that they were going to see Lily (obviously) and also to get their things for seventh year. But unfortunately Sirius kept thinking that every year they went primarily to see tons of girls and also the new brooms and jokeshops.

Finally they managed to get ready in decent time.(Sirius pulling James away from the mirror and James trying to get Sirius to stop boasting about his supossedly perfect hair.)

"Morning Mom" said James

"Morning " chorused Sirius, as he gulped down some taost and milk with almost indecent enthusiasm.

"See ya" they said in unison as they stepped into the fire that turned a bright green before dropping them off at Diagon Alley.

As they were just getting on to the street, they spotted their friends Peter and Lupin Checking out some spellbooks.

"Moony,Wormtail!!!!!!!" they yelled as they ran to give each one a breathtaking punch,which almost threw Lupin down. Wormtail just looked too pleased that they had even bothered to punch him.

"Mate,long time no see" said Sirius giving Lupin yet another punch.

"I came over three days ago" said Lupin incredulously, as he straightened up."and would you mind keeping it down on the punches, I'm still recovering from this month's bruises"

James grinned as he saw Sirius roll his eyes , and say "sure sure" in the patronising tone he had taken to using lately. Feeling unusually lighthearted and happy,he turned his head only to see his love-of-life Lilly walking towards them along with her friends.

"Bonjour madame Evans" he said cockily,looking more handsome than ever with his hazel eyes on her.

"Hello James" blushed Lilly

"What brings you to this neck of the woods?" he continued in the same annoyingly cocky way.

"Obviously, I wanted to make my day by looking at your face early in the morning" she replied sarcastically.

"Ouch" muttered James

"Let the man take over" said Sirius stepping forward.

"Hi Lills,Ashley and _Selena_ " he emphasized

"Hey, Padfoot" grinned Selena, her light brown eyes taking Sirius just as he had been taking her in.

Well, she's definitely hot,thought James. Last year the three girls had begun to get close to them during the last three weeks,when they had accidently learned about Lupin's furry problem. In fact,Selena and Sirius had been going out for long "walks" alone supossedly talking about Quiditch tactics. This reason would have actually been plausible as both of them were excellent Quiditch players, but James knew Sirius too well for his own good. He also thought that Ashley would be good for Lupin. They were both calm, but fun once you got to know them.

"Oy" said Sirius suddenly, pulling James out of his thoughts."are you gonna stand dreaming all day or help me buy these lovely ladies some treats?"

"Of course" said James sticking his nose in the air."Who else will buy my Lilly love her ice-cream?" he said in a deep voice while motioning Lilly to lock her arm in his.

"Fine, I will agree only on one condition that you will stop bugging us as soon as we finish eating and will get the hell away from us so we can buy our books in peace" replied Lilly.

"Whatever it takes" came the answer

"C'mon Ashley" Lupin said taking her hand.

And together the three pairs went to Fortescue's ice cream parlour with Wormtail tagging along. Once they had ordered their favourites, they chose a table overlooking the crowd at Diagon Alley.

"So,what have you guys been doing all summer" asked Selena

James took time eating a spoon of ice-cream before answering - "Well, Sirius was at my place the whole time, Lupin visited alot and Wormtail stopped in once in a while too,so of-course we had a blast everyday."

Selena gave Sirius a questioning look as to why he had been at James' place the whole time but she didn't say anything.

She probably knows that now is not the time, but she'll definitely corner him sometime,thought James. Smart girl.

"What've you girls been doing" asked Sirius.

"Well Ashley was at her Grandma's the whole time, Lilly spent half her summer with me to escape from her horrible-horsy sister("Sel!" said Lilly reproachfully), and I went over to Lilly's once in a while" finished Selena .

"Omigosh! we forgot to tell them!" yelled James all of a sudden."I've been made Head-boy!" he exclaimed turning to Lupin and Wormtail.

They gaped at him,both mouths ajar,too astonished to say anything.

The best reaction however came from Lilly.

"What!" she shrieked with such vigour that she toppled off her chair."no way" she said getting up quickly "that's impossible".

"And why's that?" said James in a hurt tone.

But it was Sirius who realised what the only possible reason could be.

"Oh" he said looking at Selena and Ashley.

"I know" said Selena "this ought to be good"

"Yeah." grinned Sirius suddenly,"They'll have to share a room and everything."

Selena snorted "Right".

It was only then that realisation dawned upon James too.

"Omigosh!" he said "Lilly that's really amazing" he exclaimed after two seconds. "I hadn't really thought about who would be head girl,we'll work out great together"

"I know, won't we" said Lilly in a miserable tone.

"Lilly, what's wrong?" said James "don't you like me?"

"Um yeah,like someone who's become friends in a really short span of time after years of mutual hatred" she said

"Then what's the problem?" he asked

"Nothing now......only if you return to your concieted self then I won't like working with you" she answered.

"Lilly, I promise I won't okay. Don't you trust me?"

"sure" said Lilly in a small voice.

"Are you guys done now?" said Sirius

James looked up to see that all of them had already finished and gotten up.

"Um,yeah,let's go" he said, throwing a galleon and a few sickles on the table as he got up.

"So,where do you guys wanna go?" asked Sirius

"Uh, Sirius,it's getting kind of late and we really have lots of shopping , so........"said Selena

"Oh, well see ya later then" grinned Sirius.

"Hey, we'll see you at king's cross tomorrow right?" Lilly asked James.

"Sure" he grinned too.

"Bye" they said, before walking off towards some potion cauldrons on sale.

The three marauders also set off to Zonko's and after that spent the remaining time trying their very best not to miss anything on their list.


	2. On the train

"Padfoot, mate are you sure they're going to come any minute?" said James looking up at Sirius who was casually leaning against a wall and messing with his hair.

"Ok Prongs, for the last time, they **will **come. So wait a sec and stop acting like an impatient first year kid dying to go to the loo." replied Sirius.

"I do not look like a-" began James, but he stopped suddenly and his hand automatically went to his hair, as he spotted a red-haired girl making his way towards them, proudly wearing her head-girl badge. Walking with her and attracting quite a few stares was her best pal Selena. Today, she had decided to don a tiny skirt and a tight halter top that accentuated her curves while complimenting her tall, toned frame.

Sirius let out a wolf-whistle and went forward to wrap her in a warm hug as she giggled "Hey Sirius, thanks for the warm welcome but you just saw me yesterday remember?"

"Duh. But you weren't wearing this stuff yesterday" he whispered in her ear.

"Sirius! You perv, get off." she said playfully while taking his hand at the same time.

"Hey James." said Lily brightly while smiling at the antics of their friends.

"Hey Lily. Badge looks great on you." James smiled, blushing.

"Where's yours?" she said suspiciously, "How come your not wearing it?"

"Uh. It's somewhere in my bag, and I'm not going to wear it unless I have to. I'd look like a prat wearing it and telling people what to do." said James.

"James, it's your job. Wear your badge. Right now." said Lily crossing her arms.

"Lily, calm down." said James taking her face into his hands, "Two letters-NO".

"Fine then." she said taking her wand out, "Allow me to assist you."

"Uh-Lily. What exactly are you planning to do?" he questioned uncertainly.

"Accio badge!" she said before he could stop her. The badge flew out of his pocket into her hands. Noticing for the first time, she thought-'Gosh, he wears his pants so low; they're half way down his butt'.

"Lily, why are you staring at my-" started James.

Lily gave him a sharp look.

"Never mind" he finished.

"OK James, this can be hard or easy, but either way you're getting this badge on you" continued Lily as if nothing had happened, "Come here".

"I don't think so." said James backing away.

"Have it your way." shrugged Lily, "Petrificus Totalus!"

James froze wearing a look appropriate to being punched in the face.

Lily walked right up to him, looked into his eyes, grinned and pinned the badge to the left of his shirt. Then taking a step back, she released him from the spell.

As James gave her an exasperated look, she said "Remember James you promised you'd be a good head boy."

"Fine." said James defeatedly,"But you owe me big time."

Lily snorted, "Move it grouch, we don't want to miss the train."

* * *

They met up with Peter and Lupin and finally Ashley too as they made their way towards an empty compartment on the train.

"Finally" sighed Sirius as they got into an empty compartment.

The three girls sat on opposite seats while the guys hoisted all their luggage up.

"So, have you girls planned anything special this year?" asked Sirius while he motioned Ashley to scoot over beside Lupin, so he could snuggle in beside Selena.

"Nope." replied Selena, "not yet."

"That's a good thing." said James as he placed himself between Lily and Peter,"Cuz you can bet we got a hell lot of stuff planned out."

"Like what?" questioned Lily,

The marauders looked at each other and winked."Wait and watch." they chorused.


	3. first night back

-This chapter is for Priya who always loves my fanfics. Without her I would have taken ages to update:) Luv ya !-

3. FIRST NIGHT BACK

James let out a sigh as he rested his head on the pillow and turned towards Sirius. His best mate was staring out of the window and seemed to be lost in thought.

"Oy! Sirius, snap!" he said

No reply

James gave a small smile, "Always the same huh, the first night back?"

"Yeah." said Sirius softly,"You know mate I've been so happy ever since I left my house this summer, that I didn't get a chance to realise how much I missed this place."

"I know." nodded James," I mean, home is good too but this place is always gonna be the best."

They looked at each other and smiled as they recalled the night's feast.

The marauders had occupied the corner seats along with the girls. Lily and Selena had also invited their roommates Sasha and Myka to sit along with them. Sasha was slightly tanned with silky, straight black hair and Myka was a tall, pretty brunette who was also the chaser of the Gryffindor team. She was thus on good terms with both James and Sirius.

Once seated James and Sirius started an animated discussion about their new found muggle pastime- football. Apparently, they had seen a couple of muggle teenagers playing the game and had since been completely hooked onto it. They had even bought a football and for pure pleasure they broke into a muggle's house on a regular basis and watched matches.

Lily had been shocked by their complete lack of feaer in case they were caught.

"We haven't been caught till now, so we'll worry about it when we are." said James when Lily questioned them about their plan in case they were caught.

"Of course, we could consider bribing them." he added.

Lily had shaken her head in disbelief while Selena had given James a high-five. Lupin and Peter who were used to their outrageous behavior hadn't bothered to react.

After the feast, Myka and Sasha had excused themselves to go meet their other friends and Sirius and Selena had gone to ask McGonagall their time-tables. When they returned, the six of them had made their way towards the Gryffindor common room for a quick chat and then they finally decided to hit the sack.

* * *

The next morning James woke up at 7:45 (which by his standards was abnormally early) and made his way towards the common room. He chose a particularly cosy armchair and sat down with a list.

It was Gryffindor tradition that the seventh years celebrate their return to Hogwarts with a small party the following night. The marauders had taken it upon themselves to plan it perfectly.

Just as Jame was about to check the list he heard a disgruntled voice descend the stairs.

"Prongs, have you seen my shirt?" said a grumpy (and shirtless) Sirius as he walked up to James and collapsed an a couch beside.

James chuckled to himself. Sirius was not what you would call a morning person.

"Nope, ask Jake." he replied.

Jake was their roommate. Not only was he friendly, handsome and funny but he was also considered a Hogwarts heartthrob who's reputation seconded only that of Sirius. The guys liked him but didn't think he was marauder material. As Sirius put it-' He's more of an angelic playboy than a talented prankster.'

"Got everything?" questioned Sirius, nodding towards the list.

"Let's see- girls, guys,games, fire whisky and the you-know-what. Yup, I think so." said James.

Sirius smirked appreciatively," And the head girl hasn't objected yet?"

"The head girl doesn't know what the list contains." stated James.

"What list?" said Lily appearing at the stairs with Selena right behind her.

"Uh..the list that got lost when I looked into your eyes." tried James hopefully.

"Congratulations James, I think that's the worst pick-up line I've heard in a long time." she said. Then turning to a shirtless Sirius, she snorted, "Who are you, George of the jungle?"

"Ha ha. Nope sis, but this" he said pointing towards his chest," is called the jungle of George."

Lily made a gagging noise.

"Go put a shirt on padfoot, we have to go check the kitchen for tonight's food." said Selena, a smile playing around her lips.

"If _we _are going to the kitchen why do I have to put a shirt on?" groaned Sirius.

"Up." said Selena, shoving him towards the stairs.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" said Lily looking from James to Selena,"Are you? Is he? Omigosh! last night, he asked you out didn't he?"

"Yes." said Selena smiling, she had already anticipated Lily's reaction.

"You should be more supportive you know. He really thinks of you as his little sister." she added.

"Sure, that's why he's always bugging the hell out of me."

"For your information, that's what brothers are supposed to do." said Sirius reappearing at the foot of the stairs.

Lily rolled her eyes as she watched Selena and Sirius walk out together.

She turned her eyes onto James who was staring at her intently.

"What?" she said.

"Nothing." said James smiling,"You're so cute when you roll your eyes." he added, before he could stop himself.

Lily blushed."C'mon, we have to go see Professor Dumbledore about our duties, remember?"

**A/N: Anyone can leave a review even if they aren't logged in, so please make my day n leave a review:D . The next chapter is gonna start in Dumbledore's office and end in a party! keep reading!!!!**


	4. When James Is Shirtless

**A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed the previous chapter:) **

4.

Lily glanced around nervously as she chewed on her lower lip. She and James had been waiting for Professor Dumbledore for over fifteen minutes and this office filled with weird objects (except for the adorable phoenix of course) was giving her the creeps. James on the other hand seemed quite comfortable, even happy with the fact that Dumbledore was late. While Lily fidgeted nervously, he merely watched her as if her every move amused as well as interested him in equal amounts.

"Do you think he's forgotten that he was supposed to meet us?" asked Lily impatiently.

"I honestly don't-"

"No, I have not Lily." Said a deep voice from behind.

They turned to see a slightly smiling Dumbledore looking at them, one eye behind his back and the other stroking his beard.

"I didn't….good morning sir." Stammered Lily.

"Good morning Professor."

"Permit me to say that I am proud to see two of my favorite students ready to take up their responsibilities as heads of the prestigious institution that is Hogwarts." Said Dumbledore.

"As you know, your duties include organizing prefect meetings, dances, Hogsmead outings, patrols and all other such activities. In short, you will be managing the general running of the school. To make it easier for both of you to work together at all times, you have been assigned a joint study which consists of two bedrooms and a large common room. Now, I presume James already knows the location of your rooms due to his exceedingly inquisitive nature. The password is Lemony Snickets."

Lily followed James out and once they were out of earshot, snorted loudly. James turned to her in surprise.

"What?" he said puzzled.

"I just witnessed the understatement of the year."

"Huh?"

"That's all he could describe you with? Exceedingly inquisitive! _Puh-lease_ you're way more than that. You're like the high king of late night wanderings, the patron saint of pranks, the epitome of trouble, the-"

"Okay, okay enough with the praise." Said James rolling his eyes. "We're here."

"What? We're going to sleep here? In front of the portrait of a mountain?"

James raised an eyebrow at her. "Cute. But not today love."

It took her a moment to get his drift. Once she did, she blushed furiously and glared at him. Before she could react more violently, he gave the password and the portrait slid into the wall to reveal a magnificent common room. It was filled with soft, cushiony armchairs and sofas of deep red. On either side of the common room, were two doors which they presumed led to their bedrooms."

"Wow! It's huge." Said Lily in awe.

"It's pretty good." Shrugged James. "We should get changed and get back to the Gryffindor common room. They're all probably waiting."

"Kay."

Lily opened her door and found that her trunk had already been placed beside her bed. The walls were painted in light shades of lilac. An adjacent door led to a bathroom that rivaled the prefects' one, and that was saying something. As she made her way across a heated Jacuzzi and a miniature pool that was supposed to be the bathtub, a door at the far end of the bathroom caught her eye. Instinctively, she went over and pushed the handle to open the door. Heat flooded her cheeks as she saw what the door led to- James' room. To make matters worse, James was rummaging through his trunk- _shirtless. _

He turned around and yelped as he saw her.

"Jeez! Woman, you could have knocked!" he said, quickly pulling in a shirt.

"Crap. Sorry, I didn't know what the door led to."

She had a hard time keeping herself from fleeing the room, as she looked anywhere but at him. It wasn't like she didn't want to look at him or anything. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He looked like Adonis with his slightly tanned skin and toned chest. She didn't know why she was overreacting. It wasn't the first time she was seeing a shirtless guy. Still, she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to take her eyes off him if she took even an accidental glance.

"Lily."

She looked up.

"You're still allowed to blink and breath you know."

"Umm…right. Sorry again. I'll meet you in the common room then?"

"Sure thing."

Fifteen minutes later, Lily made her way out of the head study towards the Gryffindor common room. She had changed into faded jeans and a light cotton top and was trying her best to forget about her encounter with James.

"Oy! Lily, wait up." James called behind her.

"What took you so long?"

"Stuff." He muttered. In truth, he had just given Sirius a detailed word-by-word play of all that had taken place between him and Lily, through their two-way mirrors. Sirius had found the incident extremely amusing and had also enlightened James with a series of events he thought would take place if they had to share a bathroom.

Prongs (he had said), you walk in on her by accident even once and that's _it._ She loses her head completely, curses you into oblivion and the next thing you know you'll be hanging naked and bruised from a Quidditch pole. James had congratulated Sirius on being as imaginative as a ten year old.

"You know Lily, I was thinking."

"That's a first."

"I think it's unfair that you've seen me shirtless but I haven't seen you-"

"Don't even think of finishing that sentence."

"Then finish it for me."

"Don't be a perv."

"Don't be a killjoy."

"Fuck off."

"With you? Gladly."

"Can't you find someone else to bug?"

"Nah. Not when I have you."

"Why do you annoy _me_ when you're bored?"

"It's fun."

"I had to ask."

"So, do you know there's a party tonight?"

"Since the marauders are hosting it, obviously I heard a rumor."

"You don't object?"

"I guess it's alright. The party's almost like tradition."

They gave the password and let themselves into the Gryffindor common room.

They found Remus and Ashley deeply immersed in a game of chess.

"Where are Sirius and Sel?" asked James.

"Dorm." Remus answered without looking up.

"Siri-" said James as they entered the boy's dorm. He stopped in his tracks as he saw Sirius and Selena entangled in an intense snogging session on _his_ bed. Sirius had one hand in her hair and the other was roaming freely under her shirt. Selena had her legs tightly wrapped around Sirius and both of them seemed oblivious to their surroundings. That is, until Lily let out something halfway between a choke and a shriek and fell back into James' arms.

"Bloody Merlin! What is wrong with you guys?" Lily yelled, still in James' arms.

They pulled apart abruptly and looked up in horror.

"Yeah, what were you thinking doing it on _my _bed." Added James

"Er….we didn't make it as far as mine." Stated Sirius apologetically.

"What the fuck, Sel?" said Lily angrily. "What are you doing?"

"Crap." Groaned Selena as she hid her face in Sirius' neck.

"First you date the very guy I tell you _not _to, and now you're letting him mess around with you? Do you want to repeat the whole Jared fiasco again?"

Jared had been Selena's first crush. Despite his reputation as a player, she had been besotted with the guy who was one year her senior. They had gone out for nearly a year before the bastard left her broken-hearted. Their lives had been connected for so long that Selena had completely broken down the first few months. She didn't know how to go about her day. Every small thing brought tears to her eyes. The guy had completely shattered her self image and it was like living in hell. It had taken all of Lily's strength and patience to pick up her best friend's shattered pieces and put them back together. Lily hadn't thought Selena would forget the pain so quickly.

Selena didn't answer but her faced turned white.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" hissed Lily. "Sirius is an amazing guy, okay, agreed. He's my friend too, but he _is_ a player. That's just who he is. It's been less than twelve hours that you've dated and look what you're already doing."

"Lily, it's not like that. I have no intention of hurting her."

"Then what _is_ your intention huh? _There's_ a woman I haven't humped. She must be mounted!"

"That was out of line Lily. You know I would never think like that." Said Sirius coolly.

After a few moments of silence, Lily sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. Look, I just don't want to see my best friend get hurt again."

"You won't Lily. I really like her, okay; she's been my friend too for quite some time now. Even if we stopped dating, I would still care about her. I never let my friends down. I thought you would know that by now."

"I _do _Sirius. But I also know that you're only human. What if some sexy girl tried to seduce you huh? Are you telling me you wouldn't fall for her like every other male?"

This time Selena answered. "Then we'd break up like all normal teenagers Lily. But right now, I'd like to concentrate on enjoying this relationship and getting to know him better."

"Him or his body?' muttered Lily, so only James could hear her.

"Lily, it's not like before, okay? I'm stronger now. I can handle being in a relationship and make my own decisions. So drop it."

"Fine." Said Lily resignedly, narrowing her eyes at Sirius. "But you bet there'll be hell to pay if you mess her up."

"Wow, you scared me little sister." Said Sirius sarcastically. "For someone so small, you're quite bugging at times."

"I'm serious, Black."

"No, _I'm_ Sirius Black."

They all groaned at his poor joke.

"Lily I'll let you solder me without protest if I ever treat her wrong, Okay?"

"Yeah, alright. I trust you enough to know that you won't hurt her on purpose."

"Now if we're all of the opinion that we've discussed enough about my relationship with Sirius, can we move it before we're late for transfiguration?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't put it past McGonagall to give us detention even on our first day back."

**Later that evening:**

The marauders were sprawled on the floor of their dorm making sure they had everything ready for the party.

"Prongs, you still haven't told us what you and Padfoot have in store for this party that will make it marauder worthy." Said Remus curiously.

"Yeah, it better be as good as you and Sirius have been boasting."

"All that and better." Said Sirius smirking.

James nodded in agreement. He went across to his trunk and took out what looked like a thin, transparent, square shaped screen measuring almost fifteen inches.

"What's that?"

"I'll show you. Padfoot, get a bowl of water please."

He placed the transparent sheet on the bowl of water.

"Moony, keep your eyes on this bowl, Okay?"

"Fine."

"Now, I'm going to say a word or a phrase and the first thing that pops into your mind or the first thing that you're reminded of by that word will be shown as a reflection in the water."

" For example, Remus- 'Saturday nights'."

An image of Rosmerta serving the marauders firewhisky appeared in the water of the bowl.

Remus let out a low whistle. "Sweet."

"Peter, it's your turn-' Skinny dipping'."

An image of an almost naked girl, who happened to be Peter's Hufflepuff crush appeared in the water.

"Way to go Wormtail!" said Sirius as Peter turned a bright shade of red.

"I saw her accidentally last year." He muttered, embarrassed.

James looked down at his watch. "Time to get ready for tonight." It's going to be one hell of a night, he thought.

* * *

**A/N: So, How was it? Compliments or criticism? I'd love anything:D Please review! **


	5. Marauder Style Party

**A/N: Sorry for the lateness, hope this chapter makes up for it! **

4.

Lily twirled around in front of the mirror as her eyes trailed apprehensively over the dark green, deep-necked dress she was wearing. The v-shaped neckline was lined with shining beads, as was the border. The color matched her eyes perfectly and the trail of the dress ended an inch above her knees. Her red curls had been left open, with only a small pin to pull them up on one side. Selena had taken the privilege of subtly lining Lily's eyes and lashes with a layer of eye-liner and mascara, giving them a slightly smoky look. The pretty dress that clung to her petite five foot frame along with the black heels definitely gave her a defined sexy look.

"What do you think?" she said to Selena, as she nervously bit her lower lip.

Her best friend smirked back. She herself was looking stunning in a short black number and a hint of make up that complimented her flawless, glowing complexion. Her red coated lips pulled back into a smile to reveal a set of perfect white teeth.

"You're going to make all the males at the party fall flat at your feet. I don't settle for anything less than perfection, you know. All you need now is a little more attitude."

Lily smiled back, feeling a little excited. This party was definitely going to be amazing, after all the _marauders _were hosting it. James had told her that he had invited over seventy people for the main party, but the 'after party' (as he called it) which would be more private, was to be held in the marauders dorm and it was only for the Gryffindor seventh years. Truthfully, she was more excited about the last part. For some reason, she just felt like letting go and having fun for once. This was going to be her last year and she wanted to do more than just study and get good grades. She had always had fun at Hogwarts but always within a certain limit. Agreed, the last term had been a little on the outgoing side but she had a feeling this year was going to be all the more that way, because of their new found friendship with the ultimate pranksters- the marauders.

* * *

James let his jaw drop down as he saw Lily walk down the stairs with Selena. He vaguely felt something make a sudden movement in his throat (not to mention somewhere else as well) , before the sexy goddess glided towards him and looked at him expectantly.

"Hey." She said softly, biting down on her lower lip.

"Hey." He managed to croak out.

"Good enough for the marauder's party?" she laughed nervously.

"Beyond that." He replied.

She laughed again, more confident this time.

"Let's go. As head boy and head girl, we should make sure everything runs smoothly."

"Yeah, let's go. We should probably go and check the kitchens to make sure all the food is ready. Everything else has already been taken care of by Sirius."

"By Sirius? James, are you sure Sirius can take care of all that?" Lily asked, looking skeptical.

"Lily, Lily, Lily, he might not be any good at keeping track of homework, but Sirius is the ultimate party animal," he said, grinning down at her.

**LILY POV**

As they walked across the common room, Lily let her gaze fall nonchalantly on the boy next to her. He was wearing a casual, yet elegant button up shirt (with a lot of buttons undone). It was made of a dark-blue, translucent fabric, which sort of clung to his muscled chest. His hair had been gelled and messed up again (very precisely, though) and he had on some amazing smelling cologne. Of course, considering that she had seen him shirtless, this was a definite improvement. Not that the lack of clothing on his upper body, or any part for that matter, affected her in any way, of course. He could have been stark naked and she wouldn't have blinked an eye. _Exactly my point, you wouldn't have taken the time to blink an eye if you started staring at him!... _Shut up!

"Umm…. .Lily?

"Huh?" I said, jerking out of my thoughts.

"You've kind of been muttering to yourself for the last few minutes, not that I minded. It was kind of cute actually, but we've come to the kitchens…."

* * *

Sirius downed another glass of firewhisky at the free bar, as he looked on at the ongoing party with a satisfied smirk on his face. It was still going in full swing even though it had been over two hours since everybody had hit the dance floor. He had been there with Selena until now, when he decided he wanted to go check on the party from a distance for a while. The room was looking unbelievably amazing. The marauders had cleared away all the furniture and made a dance floor complete with disco lights in the center of the common room. All the lights had been dimmed as the band they had hired (and sneaked in through their many secret passage ways) belted out popular beats. Couples who weren't busy on the dance floor were heatedly snogging on the classy black couches arranged across from the drinks. Countless bottles of butter beer and Firewhisky had been brought in from Hogsmead. Almost everyone invited had showed up. As if they would decline the marauder's invitation, he thought smugly. He could see the Ravenclaw hottie Brittany Parker closely entangled with their roommate Jake. Sasha and Myka seemed to have found some blokes from Hufflepuff. Even Lily seemed to be enjoying herself as she and Selena danced with James and Peter. Looking at his girlfriend suddenly made him want nothing more than all of them to be up in the marauder's dorm. Hmm, time to wrap up this party.

He strutted across to the centre of the dance floor and took the mike from a band member.

"Hi again everybody. I wanted to thank you all for making this party, well…simply _amazing _really-"

He was greeted by a loud chorus of appreciative catcalls and wolf-whistles.

"I want to propose a toast."

As he said the words, a glass of wine appeared in everybody's hands including his.

"As you all know, this is going to be our last year at Hogwarts. After this year all of us are going to go our separate ways and even if we do meet again, it will never be the same as right now, when we are united students of Hogwarts. I hope that this year will be special and memorable for each one of us here. So here's to an awesome and unforgettable seventh year."

"To seventh year." They all chorused, as they took a sip from their respective glasses.

"And now before we disperse to our dorms, let's have the final surprise that we have in store for you today."

As if on cue, the lights went out, leaving everybody in pitch black darkness. No one realized Sirius and James slipping away towards the door, as murmurs erupted all around.

**REMUS POV**

It had been almost five minutes since James and Sirius had silently sneaked out. Time to guide their increasingly impatient guests towards the window, to see the magnificent play of lights created by the marauders.

"_Sonorus" _he muttered, pointing his wand at his throat.

"Attention Everybody! I'd like you to look towards the window please."

The window had been magically enlarged to give a fairly large view of the outside sky. _Three, two, one-_

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere the sky appeared to burst with red and yellow, as gigantic fireworks erupted into the night sky. Chimaeras and Dragons seemed to twist and dance in the sky alongside a wolf, a dog, a stag and a tiny rat. The explosions were fairly loud, but Remus was sure the staff had already chosen to ignore a lot about the marauder style party. As for the crowd, they seemed ready to all but declare the marauders as the ultimate beings that ever walked the halls of Hogwarts.

Remus saw the distinct outlines of a stag and a huge dog returning from the grounds, as the last of the fireworks sizzled in the air. Slowly, the crowd started to thin out as people began leaving for their common rooms in groups of threes and fours. Finally, when only the marauders, Jake, Lily, Selena, Sasha and Myka were left, Sirius let out a taunting grin.

"You guys ready for the _real_ party now?"

The girls nodded and made their way up the stairs.

**LILY'S POV**

We weaved up the staircase, finally reaching the Marauders' and Jake's dorm. Sirius turned the door knob and bowed grandly as we walked into the room. Myka and Sasha looked around, feeling a little shy. Me, Sel and Ash had been here before, but it was their first time. Ashley and I looked around and giggled a little. James turned to us, looking a little confused at our sudden giggling, but then just sighed and said, "what are you two laughing about? You better not be planning anything," he warned.

"No, no, we're completely innocent," I said smirking a little at him.

"Oh yeah, when you say it like that, it seems totally believable," he said dryly.

"Well, we aren't planning anything at the moment. It's just; we were waiting for Myka's and Sasha's reaction on seeing your room. We never imagined it to be so neat and tidy all of a sudden. I'm impressed."

James smiled sheepishly at me. "Remus made us clean it up. Trust me, if you had been in here a few hours ago, you would have probably been disgusted. It was looking ten times worse than usual."

Remus looked at me. "No, you wouldn't have been disgusted, Lily. You just wouldn't have come within ten feet of any of us for fear of getting some sort of disease," he said.

"Well, you weren't the cleanest either Moony," said James indignantly.

"Yes James, even I wasn't perfect. But a few stray clothes here and there are nothing compared to having at least five boxers on each of your bed posts and having shoes and socks trailing all over the room. Not to mention the half eaten food lying all around. " said Remus.

"For your information, two of those boxers belonged to Jake!"

"Aha! Which brings us to the more prominent question, what were they doing on _your _bed?" said Remus, winking.

"Hey!-"

"Alright, alright, let's start with the game now." Said Sirius, breaking up their squabble.

"Alright, so everyone needs to sit around that." Said James, pointing to what appeared to be a fairly large bowl covered by a sheet, in the middle of the dorm.

After they had all taken their places, he proceeded to explain the rules.

**EVERYONE'S POV**

"Okay, so someone starts the game by saying either a word or a phrase to the next person and basically this sheet acts like a screen and displays the first thought that enters the person's mind when he hears the word or phrase."

A murmur of understanding and appreciation followed. A little apprehension could also be sensed.

"Okay, who's going to go first?" said James, raising his eyes lazily to meet Sirius's.

His twin-like brother grinned back haughtily. "Need you ask?"

"Right. Padfoot, 'melted chocolate' "

An image of a golden, slender leg, covered in dark, creamy chocolate appeared on the screen. The image started near her toes, and slowly moved upwards.

"Stop!" said Sirius horrified.

All at once, everyone (except Selena who looked torn between amusement and the urge to cry out loud) burst out laughing, as they watched the usually calm and unbothered Sirius, go red with embarrassment.

"Ahh Padfoot you naughty naughty boy. Is this what Selena feeds you in the kitchens? " winked James, notoriously.

"You are six feet of pure evil you prat." Said Sirius, as he wacked James on the back of his head.

"Moving on, Myka- 'Green grass' "

An image of a green pasture, with several girls lying down on their backs, heads in a circle, appeared.

James raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"My friends from home. We were like sisters." She smiled softly.

The pattern continued, until it was Selena's turn to ask Lily.

"Hmm….Lily- 'Old White couch' "

Lily's curious face morphed into one of utter disbelief as an image of an older boy she had unfortunately made out with, after a drunken party at Selena's over the summer, came into view. Lily and him were entwined so closely, that it was hard to distinguish her face clearly.

"Holy Shit! Sel you are so dead!" she shrieked as James yelped "Who the hell is that?"

"Did you….?" said Sirius loudly.

"Nooo! Ugh! Never! But like I would tell you!"

"Hmm, good to know little sis." He said a little relieved.

"Though you're one to talk" she added.

"It's okay Prongs, just a snogging session see."

"And why should it affect him?" barked Lily loudly, still pissed about being embarrassed in front of everyone.

"Huh?" said James, a little hurt showing in his eyes for a moment, before he replaced it with the usual mischievous glint and said, "Always interesting to know the dirty details about the perfect head girl's life."

Lily's replying glare could have had the ability to burn a hole right through him.

"Jeez Lils! Just kidding." He said as he let his fingers trace a comforting, single stroke down her back.

Her face heated up as she felt tingles down her spine. No! She would not forgive the arrogant prat so easily. Erm….on the other hand he was just kidding. So whatever lets forget it, she thought, as he slowly tilted his head to the right, attempting to decipher her expressions.

"It's my turn to ask James!" she shouted suddenly, startling everyone in the room.

James chuckled affectionately, muttering "So unpredictable."

"Hmm….James…. 'Fantasies with Minerva'" she said slowly, grinning evilly.

"You little minx." He said horrified, as a picture of his professor in a one piece swimsuit, exposing her bony legs and diving into a pool, appeared.

"Bad boy James!" barked Sirius, as everyone burst out laughing uncontrollably. Remus actually had tears streaming down his face.

"That perfect ensemble. Priceless." He managed to get out before once again clutching his sides, as he rolled on the floor laughing with the rest.

"Do tell us James," said Sirius weakly, "how is...what do you think.." he broke down laughing again.

"What do you think of her cat?" he finished, as all the guys started to howl with laughter.

"Ew! Sirius you absolute perv!" yelled Lily, toppling over with laughter, as they understood Sirius' double meaning.

And so the seventh years could be seen rolling on the floor that night, shaking helplessly with laughter, before Sirius passed on the drinks once again, which resulted in the entire group getting drunk, acting crazy, and finally passing out on the floor, ensnared by a deep slumber. It had been a truly amazing night, a night which all those teenagers, though it would take them time to realize, would forever cherish as a symbol of how true friendship and love, can make life so beautiful.

**A/N: So? Am i getting reviews? More reviews=faster updates :p**


	6. DADA Class

**A/N: Here you go:)**

6.

Lily groaned slightly, as she woke up to a throbbing pain in her head. Cursing the marauders and alcohol, she attempted to open her eyes. Bright lights greeted her, forcing her to revert to her original state of rest. It took her a few seconds to realize that the firm, comforting thing she was currently laying her head on was James' chest. Against the protests of her body, she forced her eyes open, and sat straight. All around her on the floor, her friends seemed to have fallen asleep in similar positions. Sasha and Myka seemed to be missing though. They had probably gone to the girl's dorm, sometime in the night. Peter, Remus and Ashley were fast asleep near her feet, and Sirius and Selena had curled up on the other side of James. Jake was snoring lightly on his bed.

"James." Said Lily lightly, as she tried to shake him awake.

He woke up at once, startled. "Wha-what happened? What're you doing here" he said, looking distinctly disheveled, with his hair stuck up in all directions.

"Party." Said Lily, summing up all he needed to regain his memory, in one word.

"Ah…." He groaned slightly, as he fell back onto the floor.

"Um….James? Said Lily after a few minutes.

"Yes Lily"

"I think I'm going to puke."

"Hang in there." He said as he practically ran to his trunk and returned with a bottle of some sort of potion.

"Quick, drink this. You'll feel better."

Lily quickly gulped it down and within seconds she could feel a noticeable difference.

"Wow! What is that?"

"A potion that helps with hangovers. Sirius and I kind of invented it because Remus and Peter don't have as much well….resistance as us. We needed to make sure they would still be fine after our secret nights of partying at Hogsmead."

"Nice."

"Thanks."

"You know we should all probably get up and get ready. Its already past noon, which means we've missed most of the morning classes. McGonagall's going to kill us already. Better not push our luck. We should really attend at least the DADA class today. We've got about fifty-five minutes to get dressed."

"If you really want us to." Sighed James, as he got up to perform the herculean task of waking six very grumpy and hung-over people, and forcing them to get dressed for class. Of course, he would have to offer the potion to all of them before he even dreamed of attempting to have a conversation of any sort.

* * *

Needless to say, all of them were enraged to have been woken up at all, but the potion worked miracles. An hour later all of them could be seen bright and cheery (well as cheery as you can be after a hangover, I suppose), and still bickering of course, as they ran through the hallways to reach their first defense class.

"Ow! James you prat, you just stamped on my foot, again!"

"Oh I'm really sorry Sel, it's totally my fault you won't move faster!"

"If you got ready so early, you should've left with Jake and the others."

"Guys give it a rest! Lily is already hyperventilating."

"It's partly your fault we're late Sirius, Mr. My-hair-won't-set-unless-I-comb-through-it-a-million-times!" retorted Selena, with a smirk.

"Oh Merlin, if he reports us on the first day, my reputation-"

"People!" yelled Remus and Ashley finally, as they reached the door, "Shut up and get in!"

Fortunately, most of the class were still on their feet, enabling the six of them to quietly slide into their places.

* * *

The class stared in disbelief as they took in their new defense teacher.

He wore black robes and sported a rectangular moustache that could have been inspired by Hitler's. He was easily above six feet tall, yet he had a creepily thin and hunchbacked look about him. His skeleton thin hand fingered his wand as his gaze swept over the Slytherins and lingered on the Gryffindors. His thin lips broke into a grim smile as he started to speak with a low, arrogant drawl.

"I am Professor Shrimkryl, your new Defense teacher. My knowledge of the Dark Arts far outstrips that of most ordinary wizards, and the things I am capable of are most definitely beyond your comprehension. I believe strongly that students must not only put in effort to master the Dark Arts but also a considerable amount of passion. Learning of these complex spells is no job for the weak. Emotional and easily scared fools will never succeed in understanding this highly rewarding subject. I expect each and every one of you to comply by all I say or else suffer the wrath of my displeasure. Those who prove unworthy of their blood will most definitely be punished…brutally by me. Now before we proceed with our class, I would like to inform you that I am also the new Slytherin head."

Sirius and James raised their eyebrows as they looked at each other. Suddenly, their faces cracked into identical evil grins. It would be their pleasure to break this Slytherin _teacher_ down. He would be the ideal target. They'd show him _passion_. Snape on the other hand looked like he was going to embrace being gay and kiss their new professor. Obviously, this did not go unnoticed by the marauders.

"Oi! Snivellus, don't wet yourself." Hissed Sirius who was sitting diagonally across.

"Yeah, we really wouldn't want to witness that you know." Added James.

Snape turned beetroot red as he looked at them in anger.

"You two think you're really smart don't you? Just you wait!"

"Wait for what exactly? The baby shower?"

"How dare-imply-you!-" spluttered Snape.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

The three of them turned around to see Professor Shrimkryl looking at them with a particularly nasty look on his face.

"I said, what is going on here?" he repeated in an icy sweet tone.

"Professor, I was reflecting upon your deeply inspiring speech when Potter and Black here tried to provoke me. Not that I let them of course. " Answered Snape like the kiss-ass that he was.

The professor graced Snape with an appreciative nod before turning his wrath upon Sirius and James.

"So, you two thought it would be acceptable to provoke him, did you?"

"Acceptable? No. Entertaining? Very."

"How dare you talk to me like that? Who do you think you are?"

"The marauders, of course" Replied Sirius and James, smirking in unison.

"Oh really?" said the professor, his voice reaching a dangerous tone. "Well, maybe a dose of spells from me will make you show some better respect."

"Traumastarta!" he said in a chilling voice, but with amazing reflexes born no doubt from their Quidditch training, James and Sirius cast shield charms just in time.

"Oops. Looks like you missed." Said James haughtily.

Lily's mouth fell open, as did many others. Was the boy still drunk or what?

This time the tension in the air was so high, you could almost taste it.

The professor drew back his wand, his lips pulled back into a snarl. Just as he was about to release the words that would no doubt have landed the arrogant boys in a long-term hospital ward, he was rudely interrupted by professor McGonagall's unexpected entry.

"Sorry to interrupt Professor, but I needed to borrow-"

She stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening impressively as she took in Professor Shrimkryl and the marauder's respective stances.

"Potter! Black! What is going on here?"

"These insolent imbeciles were attempting to disrupt my class. I was merely disciplining them." Hissed Shrimkryl.

"Is that true you two?"

On seeing that the boys were neither denying nor accepting anything, she continued, "Meet me at my office immediately after this hour. I expect this class to continue along its usual course without any further disturbances. Professor, you were informed upon arrival that punishment of this sort is not encouraged at Hogwarts. In the future, you will remember to either hand out detentions or speak to the respective house wardens."

Sparing the marauders another nasty look, she stiffly walked out of the class.

"Page 45! Now! I want the chapter to be perfected by the end of this class."

* * *

Lily muttered darkly under her breath as she silently berated the stupid dark-haired boy who was currently enduring their house warden's lecture. He always managed to go get in trouble some way or the other. She didn't understand how the same boy, who had been so sweet to her this morning, could be so insolent to a _Professor. _I mean, she knew that Professor Shrimkryl definitely hadn't been fair, but a student had to show some respect to a teacher! James was way too arrogant, way too rude. His unexplainable hatred towards Slytherins was no excuse for the way he had behaved. Every time he acted like this, it only reminded her of how he used to be a heartless bully and an arrogant toerag. The thought that maybe he hadn't changed much, kept reverberating in her mind. He deserved whatever punishment he was about to be given. She was about to leave for her next class when James exited the professor's room. He looked a little angry, but also a little ashamed.

"What were you thinking?" she burst out as soon as she saw him.

James opened his mouth angrily; his eyebrows creased together, "He provoked us."

Lily let out a sound of disbelief, "Are you serious? He was merely questioning you about disturbing his class. In fact, you two provoked him further."

"He's a Slytherin, he's prejudiced regardless."

"Maybe it's time you realized you're the only prejudiced one here."

"I can't believe you're making this my fault!"

"Making? It's crystal clear whose fault it is."

"Well obviously I'm missing something here. Did you not see how he immediately took Snape's side? Or is the clarity being distorted by the fact that you still think of Snape as the good guy and innocent victim?"

He regretted the words the moment they came out of his lips. He didn't know what made him say it. Maybe it was the fact that he had just been through a grueling session with McGonagall or maybe because he was a little hurt that she wasn't taking his side after how he had been so nice to her lately, but the words had just sort of slipped out. Deep down, he knew she was probably right, but he wasn't thinking much at the moment.

Lily gasped. "Firstly, you are a self-righteous ass-hole! And secondly, you picked on Snape without any obvious reason for the sole purpose of embarrassing him for your own selfish entertainment, because that is just what you are. A big, obnoxious, arrogant bully who cares about no one except himself!" she finished by jabbing her finger into his chest, before walking away, leaving behind a slightly angry, confused and sorry James.

**A/N: Review?**


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